tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post2795359857504837151..comments2024-01-12T00:48:48.031-06:00Comments on Go Teen Writers: To Swear or Not to SwearStephanie Morrillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13128389560727867719noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-86888770791755198162013-04-05T09:52:23.066-05:002013-04-05T09:52:23.066-05:00Talking of made up swear words, I use the word ...Talking of made up swear words, I use the word 'groan' in daily life when I'm really annoyed. My favourite author, Terry Pratchett, uses very mild swear words but since I don't dwell on them, I don't mind too much. That said, he is the only author I read who uses swear words and he is an adult writer.<br />There is a brilliant scene in one of his books where the main character picks up a newspaper in the post office (which he owns) and finds that his enemy has made his move. His thoughts are inturrupted before they get too rude because he looks up and realises he's been swearing aloud by the shocked looks on his employees faces. <br />It does require a lot of creativity to not just write out all the swear words you know but it is definately worth it. To not at least try and be creative, like in the above scene, is simply lazy.Miriamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-51615182966871287682013-04-03T13:29:58.279-05:002013-04-03T13:29:58.279-05:00Haha, Unknown, I'm way too late too but who ca...Haha, Unknown, I'm way too late too but who cares. My characters don't have any made-up swears but I do! "son of a nosferat" or "son of Sergej" by far my favourites. Anyone read Lili St Crow's Strange Angels series? You can tell I don't like Christophe, can't you? ;)ChihuahuaCharmshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16514779973262822741noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-2596539753641396332013-04-03T11:16:46.740-05:002013-04-03T11:16:46.740-05:00I'm many months late to this post, but I want ...I'm many months late to this post, but I want to mention the master of creative swearing- Captain Haddock from Tintin! 'Blistering barnacles!' and 'Seven hundred suffering samurais!'Nokomihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14252108140772803232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-70569164047127079112012-09-10T01:42:15.213-05:002012-09-10T01:42:15.213-05:00A little late to the party, but to add to your lis...A little late to the party, but to add to your list, I wanted to mention the (AFAIK highly mispronounced) Chinese swearing that they use in Firefly. It's even worked right into the culture - they wrote in a limited amount of Chinese phrasing for non-swearing as well just to give the overall cultural influence feel. Very fascinating. Jennihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03005696621276425566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-91724198765687093392012-07-28T23:05:26.629-05:002012-07-28T23:05:26.629-05:00Great post! Shiitake mushrooms is one of my favori...Great post! Shiitake mushrooms is one of my favorites :) I had to think about using swearing in my WIP, and eventually had an epiphany. My characters live in a post-apocalyptic city, and their main enemies are packs of feral dogs. So rather than swear, they snarl or growl. Yeah, I thought I was pretty clever with that >.>Lindseynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-31393244532893626902012-07-25T14:50:28.621-05:002012-07-25T14:50:28.621-05:00I have a question, and I hope somebody hasn't ...I have a question, and I hope somebody hasn't already asked this, but what if they're teenagers? Because most teenagers in the world DO curse...unfortunately. My WIP is a story that takes place in modern times and revolves around a teen girl and her five friends, the guy she likes and his girlfriend. I don't like swearing, and my MC doesn't swear. She sometimes says "Crap" or... "h3ll" but that's about it. The other characters are all British and Irish (besides the guy she likes throughout most of the story)! They seem to curse more. I don't use cursing a lot and the only major one's I do use are "b!tch" and "b@st@rd" but that's it. Another thing I do is just cut the curse word off, like this- "You son of a bi-" and then somebody interrupts them are talks over them. Is it a turn off if I still use those words? It's not often, but even when I write a curse word I feel bad and like I'm pushing away certain readers. I really don't know what my question was here xDAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-31832538227049579872012-07-20T22:38:44.089-05:002012-07-20T22:38:44.089-05:00I used a language divide in a recent work to have ...I used a language divide in a recent work to have some quite severe swearing without actually penning the words. :-) A secondary character was being assaulted by a tertiary character and so she let rip in her own tongue. The protag knew the swearer's language the best and commented in narration how the perp's mother didn't deserve to be called what she did.<br /><br />It lets the reader imagine the words without me having to distract the reader with something possibly suitable. Or perhaps too suutable!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-72467151507367037862012-07-20T22:33:25.950-05:002012-07-20T22:33:25.950-05:00I had a short story where one character was so ang...I had a short story where one character was so angry, struggling so hard to stay in control, that the 'f' word was really just so appropriate. Especially as it was a character who tended to act without thinking. :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-49570656545639776222012-07-20T10:30:02.144-05:002012-07-20T10:30:02.144-05:00I've had trouble with this too. I don't l...I've had trouble with this too. I don't like swearing and I don't want it in my story, but I have come to one or two places where putting in any kind of substitute just wouldn't work. So I marked the spot and intend to come back to it later as a "may need to fix"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-16451198732892655962012-07-20T10:19:31.653-05:002012-07-20T10:19:31.653-05:00One strategy I like (which J K Rowling used in Har...One strategy I like (which J K Rowling used in Harry Potter) is to say: "So-and-so swore" or "So-and-So cursed under their breath". I like this method because it gets the image across without thrusting nasty language in the readers' faces.<br />~Amo LibrosAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-23724665379077583622012-07-20T10:17:16.581-05:002012-07-20T10:17:16.581-05:00I believe "what in blazes" is an actual ...I believe "what in blazes" is an actual (rather dated) phrase...or else it gets used as a substitute frequently.<br />I find that made-up swear phrases actually help pull me into a storyworld, because the way a character swears tells so much about them and the world they live in. If someone says "By the Lion's mane!" you know they come from Narnia. If someone uses "Frak" you know they've stepped out of Battlestar Galactica (or another sci-fi show). And different ethnicities in a story will have different phrases, and the sorts and frequency with which different characters use them tell us a lot about who they are.<br />~Amo LibrosAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-8809602903649603392012-07-17T21:34:09.283-05:002012-07-17T21:34:09.283-05:00Lol I can't help but think of Spongebob: Tarta...Lol I can't help but think of Spongebob: Tartar sauce! Fish paste! Aww, barnacles! Also, I found the way they handle the scene in A Christmas Story where Ralphie drops the F-bomb to be very endearing; they keep it clean by having Ralphie say "Fudge," but then the narrator reveals that it was in fact "the big one" (also, in general, what a great narrative voice!) I also love when Ralphie's mom calls his friend's (can't remember the name) mom and you hear her freaking out through the telephone, lol. In a way I think it's more interesting and effective, especially in books (or movies!) geared toward a younger audience, to use techniques like that to convey the sense of a swear and the consequences without actually using the word. I must admit though, I do love my Spongebob swears :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-76753401148431121542012-07-16T06:52:37.165-05:002012-07-16T06:52:37.165-05:00In general I agree with you, but sometimes I feel ...In general I agree with you, but sometimes I feel like authors are trying too hard to keep their books "clean." Like, the bullies calling the mentally disabled kid a "moron" because the author didn't want to say "retard" or something worse. Not very realistic...Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08057480293595295502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-16297014059832555242012-07-15T17:42:23.632-05:002012-07-15T17:42:23.632-05:00I use crap, heck and dang, because I write sci-fi,...I use crap, heck and dang, because I write sci-fi, but it does seem like at some time my characters would say the actual words though I just say "he cursed" but even that limits me. Any advice? I agree with most people that cursing left and right does get tacky. I had that problem in Max Ride and Inkheart. It got annoying after while. :PVictoria Grace Howellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01849013182543674707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-81260105880046025682012-07-12T22:28:11.070-05:002012-07-12T22:28:11.070-05:00This is why I write fantasy :) So much easier to m...This is why I write fantasy :) So much easier to make up things like that when the need arises, which doesn't happen to often to me unless my character stubs his toe or hurts himself.Jazmine~https://www.blogger.com/profile/06246960020080246030noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-16633909165809891262012-07-12T14:44:56.595-05:002012-07-12T14:44:56.595-05:00Wow, this is so totally creative. A former pastor ...Wow, this is so totally creative. A former pastor used to "make up" his own curse words but they were generally in the form of gobbledy-gook. These are more entertaining. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06150136011032761640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-28319547563149256292012-07-11T17:09:24.542-05:002012-07-11T17:09:24.542-05:00I never thought of taking slang from a different t...I never thought of taking slang from a different time. That's genius!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-27862618683084312792012-07-11T16:50:11.279-05:002012-07-11T16:50:11.279-05:00ehehe, yup, what with all the editors we get, us f...ehehe, yup, what with all the editors we get, us fanfiction writers XD (it's a non-permanent indulgence)<br /><br />I know, right? Best show ever.Micah Eatonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15444448428380810777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-89839799583658628072012-07-11T13:12:34.311-05:002012-07-11T13:12:34.311-05:00What about crap and dang, words that arent really ...What about crap and dang, words that arent really 'swear words'? Do those fall into the same category? Does that turn people off?Annenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-52539982911112147852012-07-11T13:12:13.434-05:002012-07-11T13:12:13.434-05:00What about crap and dang, words that arent really ...What about crap and dang, words that arent really 'swear words'? Do those fall into the same category? Does that turn people off?Annenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-63192158259678437482012-07-11T11:10:52.270-05:002012-07-11T11:10:52.270-05:00Good way of putting it, Melissa!Good way of putting it, Melissa!Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-22451692225995065732012-07-11T11:10:23.748-05:002012-07-11T11:10:23.748-05:00Spy Kids it is!Spy Kids it is!Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-12728260358451666872012-07-11T11:10:10.686-05:002012-07-11T11:10:10.686-05:00You're welcome, Writer_At_Heart! You can write...You're welcome, Writer_At_Heart! You can write without it. You absolutely can, and be wildly successful. You're right. :-)Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-29327206832294750512012-07-11T11:08:58.183-05:002012-07-11T11:08:58.183-05:00It can be a struggle, Michah. And in the end, it m...It can be a struggle, Michah. And in the end, it might be your editor who helps you decide whether or not to keep it or chuck it.<br /><br />I love Doctor Who's dialogue. It's fun to listen to him talk.Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4024721400572472213.post-33844007898709548532012-07-11T11:07:25.334-05:002012-07-11T11:07:25.334-05:00LOL! Sometimes with boys, they feel like swear wor...LOL! Sometimes with boys, they feel like swear words are a rite of passage or manly or something. Which makes me laugh. It's like, uh... why?Jill Williamsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11943570354349667196noreply@blogger.com